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A rough night for many Beijing drivers. As word of the oil price hike leaked out late on Thursday, many queued up to get cheap gas one last time. On the stroke of midnight, gasoline and diesel would cost them 18 percent more. Many of the late customers were taxi drivers. (SOUNDBITE) (MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION) WANG JINGPING, CUSTOMER, SAYING: "It's a matter of cost. If the government raises the price of oil by 1 percent, it means the cost raises by 1 percent for us. I heard they are raising it much higher this time. How much work do I have to do to make up for that? The increase in regulated fuel prices is China's biggest ever one-off rise. The move threatens to stoke worries over decade-high inflation at a sensitive moment. It's just 2 months before the summer Olympic games and the country will be on centre stage for the rest of the world watching. Some have worried the rise will spark social unrest. But, He Jun, expert on energy prices, said the rise was reasonable. (SOUNDBITE) (MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION) HE JUN, ANALYST, SAYING: "Personally, I think considering the economic development and improvements in standards of living in China, the price rise is bearable." The government has promised several billion dollars in subsidies to heavy oil consuming industries such as public transport firms. Many people fear that rising gas prices will soon lead to a rise in basic necessities. In Beijing, I'm Kitty Bu, reporting for Reuters.